Showdown
by winn-chan
Summary: AU/3Z class fic. OkiKagu. The secret alternative lives of students from Gintama High which will eventually lead to a showdown. Disclaimer: Gintama belongs to Sorachi-sensei
1. Meeting

It was raining like any other day. In the distance, screams were heard as gunshots flew through the air.

"I don't want to kill anymore," Kagura said as she defeated the last of the enemies.

Kamui turned around and wiped the blood off his face.

"It's not up to you whether you want to kill or not. We were taken in by the Yato Corps. They could have easily killed us. If we were to run away now, it would be the end of us."

"I don't want to live my life like this anymore, brother. I don't want to live my life taking other people's lives," the orange-haired girl stated with tears forming in her eyes.

"Look, for every beginning, there is an ending. Let's go back to Headquarters and rest for the night, okay?"

* * *

It was a normal day at Gintama High. The sensei for 3Z was late as usual. Everyone was chatting and minding their own business until the classroom door slid open.

It was Ginpachi-sensei with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Mou, Ginpachi-sensei. There's a no-smoking rule in school. Put that out," the class representative Shimura Shinpachi nagged.

"It's a lollipop," the silver-haired sensei replied.

"THERE IS NO WAY A LOLLIPOP WILL SMOKE AT THE END OF IT!"

Ginpachi takes the object out of his mouth. It indeed was a pink lollipop, with the end smoking. Shinpachi froze in speechlessness. The rest of the class were chatting away, doing what they were doing before.

"Anyway, we have a new student today," Ginpachi stated with a bored tone. "Okay, you can come in now, new student."

Everyone stopped and stared. They had never seen someone with bright orange hair put into Chinese-style buns and blue eyes that shone.

"Kagura-desu. Nice to meet you all."

Yamazaki, who sat behind Okita, nudged the sleeping boy who was wearing his trademark red eye mask.

"Oi oi, Okita. I think you should wake up for this. We have a new student, and she's quite a looker."

Okita lifted one side of his eye mask to see what the commotion his friend was talking about. He saw her and thought he had seen her somewhere.

"You can sit beside the Sadis—Soichirou, the boy with eye mask over his head," Ginpachi-sensei pointed.

"It's Sougo," Okita corrected him for the fiftieth time.

Soon, class started and Okita drifted off to sleep. It's not that he had to study anyway since he was a genius. In fact, Hijikata, Kondo, and Yamazaki already learned this stuff a few years ago. They were high school students in appearance, but these four have a deeper, darker secret.

They were members of the much-feared Shinsengumi Corps, a secret branch said to have contained the wildest and most violent human beings who do all the dirty work for the Shogun. They were elite in everything—from shooting to melee fighting, from surviving in harsh conditions to solving complicated math problems. No one in Edo knows who is in this group since every trace is erased perfectly.

Class ended for the day and everyone was packing and getting ready to go home. Okita was woken up by his cell phone vibrating in his pocket.

It was a text from Hijikata. "Emergency meeting, usual place." was all it said.


	2. How to Gather Info About the Enemy

Kondo, Hijikata and Yamzaki had arrived at the secret meeting place. It wasn't exactly very secret since it was just a coffee shop down the street from the school they frequented. And of course, Okita arrived last.

Hijikata puts down his spoon on his mayo-filled katsu-don. Kondo and Yamazaki stopped eating. "_Oh boy, drama is about to ensue,"_ they both thought.

"Oi, Sougo, you're late. I wish you'll take your job more seriously," Hijikata said with a bit of flare in his tone.

"Now c'mon, Toshi. Give the boy a break. He's been working nonstop and attending school for the past two weeks with barely any sleep," Kondo tried to calm him down.

Okita simply sat down with a bored face. This made Hijikata more irritated.

Yamazaki chuckled nervously and changed the subject, "Now, why have you asked us to attend an emergency meeting, Hijikata-san?"

"The girl that transferred to our class today is a member of our rival corporation. They have always been stealing our kills and therefore our pay. What appears strange to me right now is that she came to this school. I think she may know some info about us. If worst comes to worst, we may have to kill her so our secrecy can remain undisturbed."

By now, Sougo had already put on his eye mask and dozed off.

The vein in Hijikata's forehead popped dangerously.

"And I say SOUGO will have to be the person that gets close to her to see what she's up to."

"EH?" Yamazaki and Kondo exclaimed.

Sougo lifted his eye mask. "And may I know the reason why I am chosen?"

"Are you disobeying orders? If you think you are incompetent or incapable of seducing a girl to get info, I guess it's fine," Hijikata scoffed.

"Don't you dare mock me, you mayo-freak. I accept the task," the straw-coloured hair boy glared. He was going to have a long night staying up trying to think of ways to seduce this girl.

* * *

The next morning, Okita decided to put his plan into action.

_First, you must observe the enemy__—uh, I mean girl._

He noticed that Kagura always had her hair in buns on either side of her head and a purple parasol in her hand, rain or shine. She had thick glasses on and a massive appetite. After school ends each day, she simply goes to an old apartment above a snack shop. She doesn't really go out afterwards other than walking her white dog, Sadaharu, in the evening.

_Second, you must be familiar with things she likes__ and her habits._

Okita noticed that Kagura liked listening to the B'z and loved eating rice. She also liked the colour red. At school, she rarely talks to anyone. She usually eats by herself at the roof leaning behind a storage room where there's shadow. After she is done, she usually heads back to class and reads a book.

_Third, after all the information has been gathered, you must be a man and actually contact her._

After a week of observing, Okita decided it was time to contact her. He waited until it was lunch time and as predicted, Kagura went to the roof to eat her lunch.

"Is the view that good here, China?" Okita smirked as he sat down beside her.

Kagura frowned, "I have a name."

"You always have your hair in buns. You look like you're from China. Plus, the nickname suits you." Okita shrugged and took out a sandwich.

_Silence._

"Ah, you're not very talkative, huh."

Kagura looked at him, "And you are super talkative. If you don't mind, I'd rather eat in silence."

"_Hmph. What a feisty girl__. This is going to be tougher than I initially thought,"_ the boy munched his sandwich.

Soon the orange-haired girl finished her lunch and started packing. Sougo noticed this and stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth.

"Hey, how about we hang out after school today? Y'know, like study together or something? There's an English test tomorrow," Okita suggested.

Kagura looked at him with surprise. She thought for a brief moment and said, "Sure."

Sougo gave her his trademark smile, "Alright! Let's meet at the front gate after school then. See you later, China!" He ran past her down the stairs.

"Great," Sougo thought. "Now I can infiltrate her house and possibly find out why she is in this school."


	3. Friendly Rivals

Soon, school ended for the day and Kagura was waiting for Okita at the front gate. She was nervous since she never really had anyone talk to her before. She wasn't sure how to act like a normal high school girl. She was trained to be a killing machine for as long as she could remember.

It wasn't that she wanted to take up this mission anyway. She was forced to since apparently girls were less suspicious.

* * *

**_FLASHBACK_**

Kagura and Kamui headed back to headquarters and went to see the boss. It always gave Kagura the chills since the room was always dark and had something eerie about it.

"Good job again, Kamui, Kagura. The target was eliminated successfully," the boss said with the back of his chair facing them.

"Thank you, sir," the siblings mumbled.

"Now, I have two separate missions for you two. Kagura, you are to spy on the Shinsengumi corps. I have information that there are four of them disguised as students at Gintama High. You are to find a weakness in their formation so we can take them down and become the most powerful corporation. Start right now"

"Yes sir," Kagura bowed. "Please excuse me."

"As for you, Kamui…"

* * *

"Oi. Oi, China I said," Okita waved his hand in front of Kagura's face.

Kagura blinked in surprise. "Ah, Okita."

Okita gave her a smile, "Let's go, shall we?"

Soon, they reached Kagura's apartment. Taking off his shoes, Okita peered around the apartment. It was pretty much empty. The basic essentials were present. It had a single bed, a desk, a chair, and a stove, a microwave, a rice cooker and a water kettle off to the side. There was a small mini-fridge in the other corner.

"Sorry, I don't have much in my house. Will water be alright for you?" Kagura asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It's fine, thanks," Sougo replied, still looking around. "And here I thought a girl's room will be more girly and full of fluffy stuffed animals."

"Um, yeah… I live here by myself and I didn't bother moving my stuff from back home so it's pretty empty. Anyway, let's get started with studying."

After an hour of studying, they both decided to take a break.

"So Okita, do you live by yourself?" Kagura questioned.

"Well, yes and no. I live with my older sister. But she gets hospitalized often due to her illness," he looked down a bit with a sad smile.

"Ah, sorry… I didn't mean to—"

"No no! Don't worry, haha! Anyway, what about you? Any siblings?"

"Yeah, I have an older brother."

"Oh? How's he like?"

Kagura played with the hem of her skirt. "He's… not very friendly. But he's nice to me… sometimes. He's off doing something somewhere right now.." Kagura inwardly beat herself. _Stupid, stupid! That is the vaguest thing you can tell someone. They will know something is up! Argh, you're so stupid!_

Seeing that China didn't want to elaborate, he decided to ask more general question.

"So, what do you eat usually? Doesn't seem like you cook much."

"I boil water and make cup noodles. Sometimes I make rice and crack a raw egg on it."

"That's it?" Okita was genuinely surprised.

"What… do you know how to cook or something?"

"Of course. I basically live by myself. If not, I'll starve to death."

Kagura went defensive, "Well, you're not the one living here. So it's fine."

"Heh, seeing as how we got our studying done, how about we go grocery shopping?"

"Grocery shopping?" Kagura's blue eyes widened in disbelief. _This guy seriously… I don't know if he's ridiculously brave or ridiculously stupid._ _But I guess as a 'high school girl', I should be happy that a guy is cooking for me, so I should say yes._

After a pause, the orange-haired girl replied, "Alright."

* * *

Even though both parties know that the other is a rival, they acted like normal high school kids in public. Okita grabbed a basket and went through each aisle to pick up ingredients for dinner while Kagura quietly followed him.

Afterwards, they headed back to Kagura's and Okita began to cook. Kagura grabbed a foldable table and two chairs from the closet. She studied the flaxen-haired boy with his sleeves rolled up, cooking something in the frying pan.

Soon the food was set on the table with two bowls of rice. There was fried fish with some veggies. The smell was very appealing.

"Itadakimasu," the two said and digged in.

Kagura took a bite out of the fish. It was delicious! She took a bigger bite.

"From the looks of it, seems like you think it tastes good. Don't be afraid to compliment me, China."

"Shut up, cocky bastard. Stop calling me China."

"But that's your name. I like seeing you cringe in dislike when I call you that."

Kagura frowned and mumbled, "What a sadist."

After the meal was done, Okita left.

Kagura wasn't sure how she felt. She was kind of happy that she made a friend, yet at the same time, she knows probably Okita came because of his secret work. Who knows? Maybe the friendship is just a façade. She told herself to not stay too close to him. It is only a matter of time before he shows his true colours.


	4. Helping the Enemy

The semester rolled by, Kagura became friends with most of the people in 3Z. Furthermore, she and Okita got even closer. Every time there was a test coming up, they would go to Kagura's house to study. It was not long before rumours of them being a couple started to surface. But in reality, they were simply trying to dig information out of the other. They were waiting for the other to strike first, thereby saying they killed the other by means of self-defense. It was a waiting game of who shows their true colours first, really. They both saw each other as the prey. Waiting for the right time to strike… waiting… waiting…

"So how far have you two gotten?" a nosy Otae asked Kagura.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Anego?"

"Don't deny it! You and Okita-kun are always sticking together like glue! You guys must be dating!"

Kagura blushed at the word 'dating'. "D-don't be joking around, " she wasn't sure why she was blushing though. _Dating the enemy? That's a good joke._

Otae didn't stop her teasing.

"Ahhh, Kagura-chan, you've done some naughty things with Okita-kun, haven't you?"

"N-no! I haven't! We just study together. That's all." Kagura's eyebrows knotted together.

_Gee, this mission is getting tougher and tougher.__ Damn high school girls and their rumours._

* * *

Hijikata dragged Sougo under a stairwell.

"Oi, Sougo. Have you even gotten information from the girl yet? It seems like you're just picking up some chick. You're not even trying to interrogate her," Hijikata scowled.

"I have not forgotten the mission. Plus, I have to be careful as I am directly in enemy territory."

"Good. Just making sure." And with that, Hijikata left.

It would have been easy if the enemy was a guy because he would just torment the crap out of him. But right now, it's a smart bright blue-eyed girl with orange hair. Plus it wasn't bad hanging around with her. Getting to know how she is makes it easier to get information.

Maybe he's enjoying his time with her a little too much.

* * *

It was near winter and the weather has gotten chilly. It was also the season where people got sick.

It was lunch time and Kagura was eating at the roof again. The wind picked up a little and she shivered. She wasn't feeling too well since last night but decided to go to school anyway.

She was on her way back to the classroom when the world started spinning out of control. She stumbled a few steps before losing her balance and fainted.

* * *

Okita was on his way to the roof when he saw Kagura lose balance. Thanks to his fast reflexes, he caught her just before she fell headfirst onto the landing.

"Oi, China," he poked her cheek. There was no response. He felt her forehead. It was burning hot.

He decided the best course of action is to carry her to the infirmary. Disregarding the whispers as he passed by the nosy people in the hall, he placed her down onto one of the beds there. The nurse was on break eating lunch so he went to find a towel to soak.

He gently took her glasses off and shifted her bangs to the top to place the towel on her forehead. Her eyebrows involuntarily wrinkled together at the sudden wetness but relaxed soon after. Okita tucked the girl in and sat on the side of the bed.

"Great, what am I doing, helping the enemy? I must be stupid," he mumbled.

He turned around and looked at her sleeping face. Her eyelashes were long. Her nose was slim and pointy. Her lips were glossy and slightly parted. Her neck was pale and thin. She looked nothing like an assassin. But it was obvious that she was part of the Yato corps. She was the enemy. If only she was a normal high school girl, he wouldn't have to worry about these things.

His eyes went back to those lips again. He wanted to feel those lips on his. He inched closer and closer. He could smell the rice in her breath. As he closed more distance between them, his bangs tickled her cheek. She began to stir.

Just before her eyes dart open, her hand grabbed Okita by the neck. He tried to pry her grip away but failed.

"What were you about to do to me, Shinsengumi? You were about to kill me, weren't you?" Her eyes were full of anger.

He finally pried her fingers away. "You fainted on the stairs, China. I was nice enough to bring you to the infirmary. Gee, knowing you were the enemy, I should've just let you die."

She surveyed her surroundings quickly and realized it was the infirmary. But because she acted rashly, her mission failed. She quickly opened the window and jumped out.

Okita looked down the window and saw the orange-haired girl had escaped through the front gate.

"Che. The prey escaped."


	5. Lust

It had been days since she ate. She was confined in a small room with a tiny window at the top. Her hands and legs were bound together with iron clasps.

This was the punishment for failing the mission.

Kagura knew this was going to happen. She was lashed with a whip, bruised and beaten everywhere. To make it worse, the boss had ordered her brother to do it. And knowing Kamui, he _always_ put his work first.

"I never knew I had such a weak sister" was the last thing he said before he went out to close the door.

Kagura cried silently. She never asked for this fate. She never wanted to be the spy. She never wanted to kill anyone. Just because she is the sister of Kamui didn't make her a bloodthirsty demon that he is.

* * *

She was so weak that she can't even stand on her own. She was going to die. Definitely. Her memories flashed before her eyes. She remembers when she first went to Gintama High, her first meeting with Okita, her first time talking to someone else other than her brother and the boss. She remembers how Ginpachi-sensei was a lazy laidback man who was obsessed with sweets. She remembers how Kondo pesters Otae at school. She remembers the front gate where she often waited for the flaxen-haired boy. She remembers the first meal Okita cooked and how he calls her 'China'.

My, there are a lot of memories with the sadist in it.

Why was she thinking of the enemy at a time like this?

Then she reached an answer: it was because of him that all these things that happened became memorable, enjoyable even. It made her feel important, like she was part of something, not simply a killing machine ordered to do this and that. He was the first one who treated her as a human.

A loud bang interrupted her thoughts. There were several gunshots followed by a rattle of keys. The door flung open and a masked male in all black ran towards her. Her eyes widened in surprise as the male unshackled the clasps around her wrists and ankles.

"Hurry, we have to get out of here," a familiar voice said. It was Okita.

Kagura tried to stand but fell back down. The man turned around and flung her over his shoulder and made a run for the exit. Throughout this whole time, the alarm blared continuously.

They made it to a car and drove off. The sound of gunshots eventually faded.

After they were at a safe distance, Okita stopped the car at the side of the road.

He stared at the pale girl. "I can't believe you can't survive their beatings. You better not die until I'm finished with you. I'm the only one who is allowed to defeat you. I need to pay you back for strangling me last time."

Kagura could barely keep her consciousness. Her eyes began to droop and she fell over onto his shoulder.

Okita was surprised to see her in this state. She got thinner and there were obvious cuts on her face, arms and legs from the torture. Her wrists and ankles were purple from the iron clasps. Her hair was down and disheveled. There was dried blood at the corner of her mouth.

Sougo wasn't sure what he was doing or why he had saved China. But now he will definitely be marked as a traitor. Even Kondo-san will probably think his actions are overboard.

Sighing, he started the car again and drove back to his apartment. Carrying her in and placing her in his bed, he began to clean her wounds and bandaged them. Her uniform was ripped and dirty so he gave her a change of clothes.

* * *

The sun was glaring through the blinds as Kagura stirred. She wasn't in imprisonment anymore. She didn't recognize the place though. She rolled to her side and met face to face with the sadist.

She muffled her own scream with her hands, which were now bandaged. She stared in disbelief. Had the sadist save her? But why? She had harmed him before, so it made no sense why he would do this. Everything from last night was a blur.

She slowly slid off the bed and realized she was in large red pajama top.

_Oh. My. God._

She immediately jumped onto Okita and held his arms above his head. "Oi, what did you do to me, you sadist? Did you take my virginity when I was unconscious? You sick bastard!"

Awoke with a start, Okita stared into her blue orbs. "Well, good morning to you too. Not a morning person, huh? But," he flips her down onto the bed and held down her wrists instead, "you're still way too weak to think you can hold me down."

Kagura struggled under his grasp. It was futile to try to sneak away now since she was so weak. She frowned and pouted.

Okita couldn't help but notice how the pajamas he put on her was loosely hanging on her frame, slightly parted near the legs. Her hair was loose and wild. It didn't help that she wasn't wearing any pants. In fact, he was getting kind of aroused as she resisted more.

His body began to move on its own. He dug his head into her neck and started licking the nape of her neck in circles. To her dismay, she let out an involuntary moan.

"Oh-ho. You like that, don't you?" Okita smirked.

Kagura frowned, "As if, you freaking sadist. Let me go! Stop—nngh" she let out another moan as he began to suck her neck.

Sougo felt her stop struggling and exposed more of her neck. He slowly let go of her wrist to let his hand wander. As soon as he let go, her hand slapped his face. That didn't stop his advances though.

He began to kiss her cheek and then the corner of her mouth. The whole time, she was slapping his face with her free hand. When his lips touched hers, she was expecting it to be rough. But instead, it was soft and light. She lowered her hand and stared into his maroon eyes in uncertainty. His expression was gentle.

Without a word, he got off her and went to bathroom. She sat up and heard the door shut.

_What was that all about?_ Kagura thought as she touched her lips and blushed.


	6. Hostage

_**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter ^^ - W._

* * *

"This is unacceptable! I can't believe you let her escape!" the boss roared at the prison guards. "Kamui, you are to hunt her down. If she resists, you have permission to kill her."

"Yes sir," the orange-haired boy obeyed. A slow menacing grin began to form.

* * *

Kagura sat quietly at the end of the bed, unsure of what to do. She was saved by the sadist. Even though she could escape now, in her condition, it was only a matter of time the Yato Corps found her. She betrayed the organization. She bit the hand that fed her and kept her alive. There was no way she could go back.

In a way, she was relieved. She didn't have to take lives anymore. She didn't have to follow orders from the boss anymore. She didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares of the people she killed with her own hands anymore. If only the situation was that simple, she could feel relieved. She was at the hands of her enemy, people who were trying to take her life. It was either being killed by her fellow brothers and sisters or by the rivaling corporation.

The bathroom door opened and out walked a freshly showered Okita. He had his school uniform trousers on and a towel over his wet hair.

Kagura blushed and looked away. "Put some clothes on, you pervert."

"Oh? I'm giving you a free show, China. You should be happy. Not many girls get that."

She huffed and glared at the floor.

"Anyway," the sadist put on his uniform top, "you are to stay here before I sort this all out."

"What? You think I'm going to listen to you, you sadist?"

"Oh, but you _are_ going to, China," his eyes narrowed, "Don't you dare try to escape when I'm gone. I know what kind of situation you are in. Either way, you'll be killed, so you might as well try to live another day."

She frowned, but nodded in agreement.

"Good. I like obedient girls a lot more," he smirked as he walked out of the apartment.

"Damn sadist," Kagura muttered.

* * *

"Sougo, do you know the consequences of this situation? You saved the enemy!" Kondo exclaimed.

"Shh, please stop drawing attention to ourselves, Kondo-san," Yamazaki whispered.

"Oi Sougo, you really messed us up this time," Hijikata chimed in. "Don't expect us to cover for you. We can't be bothered by your little whims."

Okita ignored the black-haired man. "Kondo-san, I only saved the enemy so I could get information about the enemy. Wasn't that our goal anyway? She barely spilled information about the rival corporation. Plus, isn't this a good time to use her as bait to lure out the enemy? Instead of always fighting a cold war, we might as well go head to head to see which of our corporations is the strongest."

"You shouldn't underestimate the Yato corps," Hijikata warned. "By now, they probably treat her as a traitor. She has no use as a hostage. She might as well be dead."

The boy simply smirked. "Oh, but I don't think the bloodthirsty Yato will be able to resist what I have planned."

* * *

Okita opened the door to his apartment. China was sitting on the bed watching TV. He noticed a cup noodle in her hand.

"Oi China, you can't just go rummage through people's food supplies like that."

"Who was the one who told me I can't leave this place? I gotta eat y'know."

The boy frowned a bit and sighed. "Well, you're not going to eat for free. From this moment on, you'll be my slave."

Kagura almost choked on her noodles. "WHAT THE HELL? You are a seriously sick pervert."

"I saved your life."

"I didn't ask you to."

"You still owe me."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. So it's settled."

"What? You don't have my consent!"

"Hostages don't need consent."

Her blue eyes widened in disbelief. For the little while she was with Okita, she thought he actually cared. She thought that maybe he had some human in him that drove him to save her. But turns out she was just being used, _again_.

She looked away and put down her cup noodle and stared hard at the TV. It was obvious that she was trying hard not to cry.

Okita stared at her. Somehow his last sentence had left a bitter taste in his throat.


	7. Bait

_**A/N:** To make up for not updating right away, I made this chapter a bit longer =P. Enjoy!_

* * *

Okita suddenly wanted to take back the sentence since he didn't really mean it. It was only the heat of the moment when they were arguing that he said something that harsh.

He put down his bag and walked towards Kagura. Hearing his footsteps, the Yato girl glanced at him with cold eyes.

"China—"

She glared at her captor. "Should I start calling you 'Okita-san'?"

"No, China. Listen to me—"

"Oh, so 'Okita-san' is not enough. How about 'Okita-sama' then?" she spat.

Okita jumped onto the bed and knocked her flat on her back. He used his weight to pin her down and lifted her wrists above her head. His red eyes flashed dangerously.

"You damn girl, listen to what I have to say before you start jumping to conclusions. I have a handful on my side too y'know. I am not doing this because I enjoy it," he sighed. "There are only certain ways that I can make enough money to put my sister to the hospital."

"Oh, and you think I had a choice in being in the Yato corps? Because my brother and I are naturally good fighters, we were scouted by the boss at a young age. At first we were promised freedom as long as we carry out what we were told to do. But we are simply locked in a cage. We never have our own time. Killing this person, shooting that person, it was always about taking lives," her voice began to tremble. "I'm sick of being used. I'm sick of being superficially thanked only to be used again the next moment. When I perform below what is expected, I would get beaten up by my own brother who thinks a rock is more useful than me. Where is the freedom I was promised? What is freedom? I never asked for this fate. I never wanted to take lives with my own hands."

Kagura then began to cry.

Okita wasn't sure whether she was faking it or not. But he didn't think those tears rolling down her cheeks were only for show. He pulled her up and embraced her tightly.

Little did they know, Kamui was watching his sister in the shadows.

"Oh-ho," Kamui mused. "Now I've found Shinsengumi's weak point." He began to grin menacingly.

* * *

After that ordeal, Kagura cried herself to sleep. The flaxen-haired boy stared at her pale face. Since her ties to the rival organization have been cut, she is just a normal high school girl really; a girl who complains about the messiness of his room, a girl who eats a lot, a girl with feelings.

Even so, Okita cannot take the risk of letting his guard down. He still waits until she is sound asleep before sleeping himself. Any tiny movement she makes when she sleep jolts him awake.

The next morning was a school day, so Okita had already left by the time the Yato woke up. She yawned and rummaged through the pantry to find some instant food rations only to see that there is nothing left.

Noticing the note and some money left on the table, she picked it up and read it.

_There's nothing left to eat. Go buy __me some._

"What a jerk! What kind of guy makes a girl buy food?" she scrunched up the paper and threw it on the floor.

Knowing the dangers of being recognized, she took Sougo's aviators and a hoodie and set out onto the street. The sun was burning her skin. She couldn't take her umbrella with her since that is an obvious sign that she was from the Yato corps. She flinched at the pain and hurried to the convenience store.

Kagura was done shopping and began to walk back to the apartment. She was hurrying back even faster now that the clock struck noon. The intense rays soon dissipated as someone shielded her with an umbrella.

"Sougo—" she started. To her dismay, it was Kamui. "B-brother…"

Kamui had his usual grin on. "Hello sister. I see that you're doing well. It's time you come back home."

Kagura jumped back and dropped the bag of groceries. She glared at him. "What do you want from me? Are you here to kill me?"

"Oh no, what made you think that?" he jeered. "I did receive an order to kill you if you resisted coming with me." That cruel smile tells Kagura he was enjoying this.

"I'm not coming. If you want to fight, I'll fight you now."

"I'm not here to fight. I am just here to warn you," Kamui appeared beside her in an instant and whispered, "Be careful of who you stick to. You might lose them."

The Yato girl's blood ran cold and she immediately swung her fist at the figure in anger. He dodged easily. Her heart was beating fast. She knew she was no match for her bloodthirsty brother. He lived for the adrenaline of fighting. He's a monster.

"Just give it a thought, little sister. I'll be waiting for you midnight tonight at the harbour."

With one more looming smile, he disappeared into the alleyway. Kagura breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe, at least for now. But now Kamui had hinted that he knew she was getting close to the Shinsengumi.

She picked up the groceries and began to walk back to the apartment. All the while, she was deep in thought. Even though Okita says she is his slave, he barely treated her as one. In fact, they even share the same bed together. It was more like he was protecting her than treating her as a hostage.

"This is bad," she said as she reached the apartment. "I can't afford to put him in danger."

She put down the groceries on the table and sat down. It was 5 o'clock already. Okita should be home soon. Putting on a fake smile, she pretended nothing was wrong.

The boy came back and soon after their usual instant noodle dinner in front of the TV, they went to bed. And of course, Kagura was pretending to sleep. Soon she felt Okita lie down next to her.

The clock ticked by slowly. Kagura couldn't sleep. She knew what Kamui was capable of. She wasn't given a choice of what to do. He was threatening her to come or else he'll kill everyone close to her. She shut her eyes tightly at that thought. Soon midnight came and the orange-haired girl turned to face a sleeping Okita.

"Sorry," she whispered and slowly slipped out of the covers, grabbed her umbrella, and snuck out of the apartment.

Okita sat up and removed his eye mask, knowing fully well that China wasn't sleeping at all. After staying up all those nights, her breathing pattern was different tonight.

He got ready and followed Kagura.


	8. Stolen

The flaxen-haired Shinsengumi member concealed his presence and followed Kagura to the harbour. He spotted a figure waiting by the railings.

"Glad that you can make it, little sister," said the figure.

"Kamui, I kept my end of the bargain. So you better not hurt them."

"I am a man of my word. So let's go," he turned and started walking.

Okita was too far to hear their conversation. He saw Kagura following Kamui. He furrowed his eyebrows and balled his fists. He could sense the bloodlust from the always-smiling Kamui. It wouldn't be wise to take him on himself. Reaching into his pocket, he was about to pull out his cell phone when suddenly a gust of wind rushed towards him.

"Oh? What do we have here? I see that a dog has followed you, Kagura," he smiled maniacally.

Kagura's blue eyes widened. She did not expect Okita to follow her.  
"Kamui, we had a deal. Don't you dare lay a finger on him."

Okita jumped back a distance from the monster. His heart raced as the pressure increased.

The older brother smirked. "Oh I can't resist. I can sense that he's a strong opponent."

Okita stood up straighter and said in his usual deadpanned voice, "China, I didn't think you would actually run away. How stupid of you, running to your own death. Now I have to save you again."

"Shut up, you sadist. I never asked you to save me! Now go away," she shouted, then quietly added, "_please_."

"Oi, someone is trying to take _my_ slave from me. I own her. So you'll have to fight me to get her back," Okita smirked. He got into a fighting stance.

Kamui broke out into a huge smile and dashed towards Okita with his dominant fist. The Shinsengumi blocked it with the scabbard.

"You know, she's _my_ sister. I believe my guidance has made her what she is today, so she owes me. If anything, she's _my_ slave," Kamui said while rotating in midair and landing a kick in Okita's thigh. The Shinsengumi winced slightly then quickly used the scabbard to land a blow onto Kamui's side.

"Oh? I think you have it all wrong. I saved her and so she owes me. She's my slave," Okita replied while deflecting all the hits. He drew his sword and made an attempt to slash Kamui. The orange-haired Yato dodged with ease.

Kamui mockingly laughed. "You have so many holes in your sword style. I can take you down with my eyes closed." He then appeared behind Okita and was about to chop him in the neck when Kagura jumped in and stopped his attack.

"Brother, you promised me you wouldn't hurt—" Kagura started but was cut short with a smack to the face. She hit the ground hard.

"Shut up, you fool. You are a failure. You have no right to order me around. Here I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself and you throw it away."

Seeing Kagura hurt in front of him, Okita's blood boiled. He didn't understand their relationship. He had an older sister but they never would have fights that get that physical. He didn't understand why Kamui can hit Kagura like she was nobody.

Okita's eyes narrowed. "Brothers shouldn't hurt their sisters." He made a dash towards Kamui with his sword.

The monstrous boy with braided hair evaded by an inch then grabbed Okita by the throat.

"See? I told you your swordplay is full of holes," Kamui tightened his grip. His eyes showed that he was enjoying the now choking Okita.

"Kamui! Stop it! I'm already going with you. Let him go!" the girl panicked and tried to pry the murderous fingers away from Okita's neck.

"Too weak," the monster boy huffed and let go. Sougo dropped onto the ground coughing and gasping for air. "Let's go, Kagura."

Kagura followed obediently. She glanced back at the coughing figure. Her eyes glistened with sadness. A teardrop rolled down her cheek.

Okita watched her retreating back. His vision was getting blurry and tunneling.

"Damn it, China. You better… be…. alright…" Then he blacked out.


	9. Punishment

Okita woke up to the smell of cigarettes. He blinked a few times to see that he was in Hijikata's apartment.

"Oi, Sougo. It's not like you to lose a fight," Hijikata said and inhaled the cigarette in his hand.

Okita ignored him and tried to get up from the couch. A sharp pain shot through his leg where Kamui landed a blow. He toppled to the ground. His thigh was definitely fractured.

Hijikata took another whiff of his cigarette, "So, what's the story?"

Sougo slowly got up and sat on the sofa. "The hostage was taken away so I chased her down. But the member who took her away was Kamui. He's ridiculously strong."

"It was just a hostage. There was no need to fight for her. Don't do unnecessary things, Sougo. You won't always be so lucky to have me pick you up."

"How did you know I was at the harbour?"

"I told Yamazaki to follow you," he replied in a matter-of-fact voice. "Anyway, don't say I'm prying, but I think you have a thing for the girl. Normally you would kill whoever stands in your way. You wouldn't do all these extra unnecessary things for anyone."

Sougo blinked. He was taken aback by the bluntness of the vice-commander. Was he really acting out of character saving China?

"Plus," Hijikata continued with a smirk, "You even have a pet name for her already. 'China', was it? My my, you're growing up!"

"Shut up, you bastard. I don't need to take this from you." Sougo lied back down on the sofa and turned his back towards the grinning man. "I'm tired so I'm going to sleep."

Hijikata put out his cigarette and walked towards the bedroom. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Don't get too close to the enemy. You'll only get hurt."

* * *

Since Okita was one of the popular boys at school, there were flocks of girls greeting him at the gate every morning. Today was like any other day. As he entered the front gate, there was a unanimous squeal of fangirls echoing throughout the school grounds.

"Good morning—Oh my goodness, Okita-sama! How come there's a bruise on your neck?" one of the fangirls shouted.

"Ehh? Really? Looks like someone tried to strangle Okita-sama!" another one piped in.

"Okita-sama! Who did this to you? We'll get him!"

"Ugh," muttered Sougo as he walked past his fan club. He wasn't in the mood to deal with these people today.

The morning bell rang and soon class started. The whole morning, Sougo rested his head on his palm and stared out the window, not paying attention at all. Even when the lunch bell rang, the red-eyed boy gazed into the distance. Ginpachi-sensei rapped his knuckles on his desk to get the boy's attention.

"Oi, Okita-kun. I know school is boring but you have to pay attention in class, or at least appear to be paying attention."

"It's alright 'cause I know how to solve all the math problems already," he said in a deadpanned voice.

"We just had History class, Okita-kun."

"…Whatever. I'll start to pay attention when you stop eating sweets." was his reply.

"Now you know a grown man needs sweets to function," Gin said defensively.

Okita, with a bored look on his face, stared at the white-haired teacher. "You should go to the doctors to check for diabetes, sensei."

Gin sighed and ruffled his hair. He took a seat in front of Okita.

"So the principal wants me to explain why Kagura-chan hasn't been in class. And knowing me, I am too lazy to try to find out why. Since you two are always together, want to tell me why Kagura-chan hasn't been in class for the past two weeks? Is she sick?"

The mentioning of Kagura's name made Sougo tense up. Somehow, hearing her name made his heart beat a little faster.

Ginpachi stared at his silent student. "Well? Is she sick or something? When I called her house, no one picked up. And even when I went up to her apartment, no one answered the door. Ah, this is really troublesome. The principal really wants to know where she is."

Sougo, now annoyed at the talkative teacher, looked out the window and muttered, "I don't know. Maybe China went back to her country and she's never coming back."

* * *

Back at the Yato corps, Kagura was again in the prison. She was cuffed and chained to the wall. The punishment this time was much rougher.

Kamui's blue eyes lit up in joy as he punched his little sister's stomach. The Yato coughed and winced at the pain.

"Oi, you should be expecting this. You did run away." He landed another blow into her stomach.

Tears began to gush out of her eyes. It hurt a lot, being punched like that. Breathing was getting harder and harder. Her head drooped down a little.

Kamui pulled her head up by the bangs and grabbed her chin.

"Now, tell me what you've found out about the Shinsengumi," he smiled in a sinister way.

Kagura spat in his face. Kamui wiped it off his cheek and tightened his grip on her chin.

"Be a good girl, Kagura. If not, I might just kill you off."

"You are going to kill me either way. I'm not telling you anything!"

"Wrong answer," Kamui replied and rammed her head against the wall. A groan of pain left Kagura's lips.

"I'll give you another chance. What did you find out?"

Kagura's vision was getting blurry. Her head was throbbing from the pain. Even if she had any info—she actually didn't have any—she still wouldn't tell Kamui. Kamui didn't treat her anywhere close to a sister, let alone a human being. Sougo actually cared for her. Even being a slave would be better than working for the Yato corps. She felt like she was worth _something_ at least.

As her eyelids droop, she let out a quiet plea, "Sougo, save me…"


	10. Saved again

_**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews and favourites! This story is ending soon so stay tuned!_

* * *

Several weeks had passed and there were still no signs of Kagura. Okita felt conflicted. He was worried about her safety, but at the same time, she _was_ the enemy. Like Hijikata said, he shouldn't get too close. Just thinking about it aggravated him to the point where then pen he was holding snapped in half during English class. This caused a wave of chatter and whispers. After that, Okita's fan club was too scared to even say 'good morning' for he had a scowl on his face every time they saw him.

While taking care of the regular 'duties' of Shinsengumi corps, Kondo and Hijikata couldn't help but notice that Okita has turned more violent during his missions. Even when they were only to apprehend the target, Okita would sadistically beat him within an inch of his death.

As if fate was playing with them, the Shinsengumi were given an infiltration and purging mission of the Yato corps. Yamazaki was sent on a spy mission as that is his specialty. This decision to purge was made after several weeks by the government. The Yato corps was deemed 'dangerous' on several counts of homicide and the Shinsengumi were to infiltrate their base and purge the miscreants causing ruckus in the city.

After briefing the mission at the headquarters, Kondo turned to Okita. "Sougo, you are not going to do the mission with us."

The boy's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "What? Why, Kondo-san? What did I do wrong? Why can't I participate?"

Kondo heaved a sigh. "I know how you feel, Sougo. But right now, you are going to bring personal matters into the workplace. A sword in confusion will only bring death."

Sougo laughed. "Heh, you people always treat me like a little kid. Yeah, maybe I am not like you guys. I can separate my emotions from my work."

"Sougo," Kondo said in a sharp voice, "If we are to purge the Yato, we are going to have to kill Kagura-chan, too. As the commander, I think it is wise if you stay behind."

_Kill…Kagura?_ Sougo stood there, frozen on the spot. They, the people who were closest to him, were going to kill China. They are going to purge the whole Yato organization, along with China.

Kondo and the rest of the Shinsengumi set out on their mission, while Okita stood in the same spot.

As they left the headquarters, Hijikata commented loud enough for Sougo to hear, "Useless little boys who can't separate workplace from personal life should just stay home."

Okita clenched his fist. Hijikata was right. He really couldn't put down his emotions. He has fallen in love with the enemy. He just wanted her to be happy. He wanted to give her what she never had. Even though she was from the rival organization, she was still a human. She never wanted this. She never wanted to kill.

The confused Shinsengumi leaned against the wall for support and slumped down. His hands went up to his hair as he ruffled them in frustration. He really wasn't set out to do this at all. Kondo knew. Hijikata knew. Hell, even Yamazaki knew. How can he slay down the person he loves?

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he got. If anything, he should be the one slaying down China. So, he picked up his sword, and head out himself to the rival's hideout.

* * *

Rain began to fall harder as countless Yato members were slaughtered. Kagura could hear Kamui's laughter as he finished off some low ranking Shinsengumi members. She was still chained up and weak. Even if they didn't kill her, she would probably die a little later on.

She could hear hurried footsteps nearing her cell. Her death is near. The gate busted open with a loud clang, and in came Hijikata and Yamazaki. They had a shocked face. Kagura had a black eye, cuts and bruises on her face, neck and limbs, and dried blood that matted her salmon-coloured hair.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the sharp pain of being cut. Instead, she felt her chains being cut loose. She fell forward into Hijikata's body.

"Kagura-chan, you look awful," Hijikata then shoved Kagura into Yamazaki's arms. "Oi Yamazaki, take Kagura-chan and head back to headquarters and get the doc to treat her."

Yamazaki gaped at the vice-commander. "Eh? But sir, we are supposed to purge all Yato—"

The black-haired man cut him off. "She isn't a Yato. She's just an innocent hostage that was beaten excessively. Now take her back to headquarters. This is an order." And with that, Hijikata disappeared out the door.

* * *

Sougo was soaked to the bone in this rainstorm. The Yato hideout was now adorned in crimson red blood. As he stepped inside, the floor was littered with mangled corpses of the Yato. There were a few Shinsengumi members among the casualties.

The fight was pretty much over. Okita found Kondo and Hijikata, who were drenched in the enemy's blood. Victory was theirs. No words were exchanged between the three men as the government officials came to talk about official business with the Shinsengumi commander.

Okita helped with the cleaning up and noticed that Kagura and Kamui were missing in the corpses. Hijikata informed him that Kamui had escaped with a serious wound to his shoulder. When Sougo asked about Kagura, Hijikata wouldn't tell him directly. The only reply the young man got from his vice-commander was, "Your problem is not my problem."

* * *

Yamazaki had returned to headquarters and had the doctor treat Kagura. She was in critical condition but now is in the safe zone. She had a major concussion and several broken ribs. Even though she was unconscious, tears were flowing down her cheeks. The spy of Shinsengumi wasn't sure if she was crying because of the physical pain or emotional pain. Either way, it was heartbreaking to watch.

Sougo got back to headquarters. He was sure that Kamui had taken Kagura with him so he didn't expect to see her. It has been a long day. As he supported an injured Shinsengumi into the room, what he saw almost made him drop his colleague.

Kagura was right here, in front of him.  
Kagura was in casts and had bandages wrapped around her head.  
Kagura was in a coma.  
Kagura was, _at least_, still alive.

A wave of relief came over him. He helped the colleague to the doctor and went back to the Kagura's bedside.

"Yamazaki," Sougo said with a hint of urgency and anger, "explain."

Afraid of being punished by the first division captain, the spy explained everything from finding Kagura in the prison cell to Hijikata ordering him to bring her back.

"Damn it, Hijikata," Okita cursed. He did not want to be indebt to him. But he knew Hijikata was always like that. Even when he acts like he doesn't care about people's personal matters, he actually cares the most.

On his way out, the golden-haired boy slammed the door shut. Yamazaki jumped at the loud bang. Even though the vice-commander didn't tell him to keep this a secret, he felt that in the next few moments, he will be punished for telling Okita everything.


	11. Promise

The next few days were simply Okita taking care of Kagura. He stayed by her side the whole time. She hadn't regained consciousness though. Her tears continuously flowed down her cheeks. It made Okita feel useless. He wanted to take away her pain. He wanted to make her feel better. He wanted to stop her from crying. But the only thing he could do was wipe away the streams of tears.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. Three months had passed now and Kagura was still in a coma. Her physical injuries have all healed. It was all up to her willpower to wake up from her long slumber.

During these few months, the flaxen-haired boy talked to her sleeping figure every morning and evening. Perhaps it was because he wanted her to know he was there. But mostly, it was for him to feel less lonely. He would tell her jokes that he knew, and report his daily attempts of killing Hijikata. He would reminisce about how they were studying together and the fights they had.

"You know, China," he would say, "School is pretty boring without you around. Ginpachi-sensei just sits there reading JUMP all day, Shinpachi stares at his Otsu-chan picture collection, Hijikata eats mayo like rice, Gorilla chasing after Nee-chan… Everyone is doing their own thing. Gori-san made me stay at the base when they go out for missions, saying I should be taking care of you."

Okita heaved a sigh as he looked out the window at the rising sun. "Now that the Yato corporation has been disbanded, you are now just a high school student. You can finally live a life where you don't have to take lives. You are finally free to do what you want. And no matter what," he said as he held her hand, "I'll be there with you."

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost time for school. He got up and wore his school jacket.

"I'll be back tonight, okay? Talk to you later, Kagura."

_Kagura… Kagura…_ The sound of her name rolling off his tongue made her twitch a little. However, Sougo was already walking out of the room.

* * *

That night, something miraculous happened. As Sougo brought in his dinner bento and ate it while telling the unconscious girl his day at school, her eyes slowly opened.

Okita almost dropped his bento. "C-CHINA! Wait, let me go get the doctor." He was running with joy. Finally, after almost four months in a coma, Kagura woke up.

However, the happiness was short-lived. The Yato couldn't speak. No matter how hard she tried to make a sound, none would come out. Her eyes began to water as her eyebrows knotted together.

The doctor grimly said, "Her Temporal Lobe has been damaged and is still recovering. There's no said time of when it will heal up, if at all. But for now, she won't be able to speak. We can only hope for the best."

Okita stood there dumbfound. He was hoping he could hear her childish insults and laughter again. He was hoping to hear her call him 'Sadist' and 'Bastard'. But by the looks of things, this seemed to be a permanent disability.

But now that Kagura was conscious again, Okita didn't mind. Either way, he would still stay by her side. Even though Kagura couldn't speak, she would have a notebook by her bedside, writing down whatever she had in mind. Her writing skills weren't exactly 'good', so Okita had to guess most of the time what she wanted to say.

It was frustrating for the Yato. She never knew losing her ability to speak would be so inconvenient. Although she would put up a happy front in front of others and smile, she would cry herself to sleep every night. She wanted to curse at her fate. She felt as if she traded her ability to speak for freedom. She wanted to be able to laugh loudly, shout nothings at a wall, and bawl noisily when she feels sad.

She was able to move around now. She would sit in front of the TV at the Shinsengumi lounge, eating all the rice in the rice cooker. She would even put a dent into the so-called endless Shinsengumi sausage supply.

Kagura kept eating to keep herself busy. It was lonely when Gori-san, Mayora, and Sadist went to school. They couldn't leave her at Okita's house because she could possibly be chased down by the still-at-large Kamui. The headquarters at least had other Shinsengumi members who could guard her. But staying indoors all day has made her feel cramped. It was nice not having to do anything, but it was lonely. Every day, she looked forward to the trio to come back and talk about their day over dinner. These peaceful times were what she wanted.

* * *

"The government told us to track down Kamui and kill him," Kondo said in one of their many meetings. Hijikata and Okita nodded. It was time to eliminate this dangerous element.

Kondo looked around the room. "Men, if there are no questions, we are going to head out at midnight tonight. Meeting adjourned." The members of Shinsengumi filed out of the room.

Okita went to his room at headquarters to gather his belongings. To his surprise, Kagura was sitting on his bed.

"China, what are you doing in my room?" he asked lightly.

She took out her notebook and wrote, 'Where are you going?'

Okita looked at her and continued packing. "I have a mission and won't be back for a few days."

Her eyebrows furrowed. She scribbled, 'A mission?'

Sougo patted her on the head and gave her a smile. "Yeah, but don't worry. I'll be back."

She continued to scribble. 'Be careful. Remember, only I can kill you. So you better stay alive, you bastard.'

The young Shinsengumi laughed. "Yes yes, I will remember that. Be good when I'm gone, okay? Try not to deplete our supply of food with your monstrous appetite."

He finished packing and was about to leave his room when a pair of pale arms encircled his torso.

He put his hand on her arms. "China? What's wrong?"

She would only tighten her embrace. He could feel her silently sobbing behind, soaking his shirt.

He sighed, "C'mon, let go. I need to leave now."

Kagura finally let go. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand roughly. He placed his calloused hands on her shoulders. "How about this? There's a fireworks festival next week. I promise to go watch it with you, okay? So don't cry anymore, you silly girl." Kagura gave a small smile and nodded. She put out her pinky, signaling him to take his out, too. Sougo chuckled, "Haha, okay, pinky promise."

He made his way down the hall to meet up with Kondo and the others. With one last glance at China, he disappeared with the rest of the group into the night.

Even though she didn't know what the mission was, the Yato girl felt uneasy. Her gut was telling her that it was going to be dangerous. But the only thing she could do is believe in him. Going back to his room, she lied down on his pillow. It smelled like his hair. She curled up and fell asleep.

* * *

_**A/N:** Umm, I guess there's a lot of OOCness... sorry about that =[. Next chapter would be an epic battle with Kamui XD Please look forward to it!_


	12. Battle of the Demons

_**A/N:** Sorry for the slow update! I actually got sick twice (fever x 2!) since the last update. Yes, I am weak ;A;. I had some help and tips from The Blue Hydrangea for the fighting stuff! Thanks dear =D_

_My weak attempt at fighting… bah T^T still lots to work on…_

* * *

The tension was high amongst the Shinsengumi members as they camouflaged themselves in the bushes. They were within the proximity of the bloodthirsty Yato. In sight, there was an abandoned warehouse, rusted all over. The air was heavy and humid. Thick clouds began to shield the moon, which had already rose high above them. Hijikata and Kondo took one side of the warehouse and Okita took the other.

Commanding the first squad, Okita signaled his men to move forward towards the warehouse door. Another flick of his wrist, his squad broke the door down with a well-positioned kick.

_Crash!_

And silence.

When the cloud of smoke cleared, his vision began to adapt to the darkness. Hearing his heart thump in his ears, he admitted this prey had made him enjoy the suspense. Soon his ears picked up the sound of trickling water.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

A perfect rhythm.

As Sougo and his men went deeper into the warehouse, he felt a presence that made the hairs on his neck raise and sent shivers down his spine.

A bloodcurdling scream was soon heard at the back of the squad. The victim was one of the new recruits of the Shinsengumi, lacking practice and experience. The man's eyes widened in shocked as his head slowly looked down. A hand had punctured his chest. His eyes rolled back as blood gurgled out of his mouth. His body fell forward as the hand withdrew. A pair of menacing blue eyes shone with bloodlust, staring directly at Okita.

A smile began to form on the First Division Captain's lips. His heartbeat rose with excitement. He had been waiting for Kamui to strike.

One by one, his squad members were taken down. Some had their neck snapped. Other had their bodies cut and punctured, purely by hand. Kamui had not even wasted his energy to use his umbrella. For these lowly beings, there was no need.

Okita's senses heightened and he felt his own bloodlust overcoming his rationality. The dripping water echoed throughout the warehouse as bodies hit the ground. Then everything was still.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

Glowing blue orbs stared straight into his red ones. He bent his knees a little, his right hand just above the hilt of his sword. The excitement of drawing blood from a strong enemy was so strong he unconsciously began to lick his lips.

Hijikata, Kondo, and the rest of the Shinsengumi watched in shock at the showdown of the two young men. None of them could blink or move a muscle. The air was thick and heavy.

Really, this battle was demon versus demon.

Monster versus monster.

In a taunting voice, Sougo sneered, "Come, Kamui."

A crash of thunder rang out and Kamui happily obliged. With a powerful dash, he made his way to Okita, his fist ready to make the Shinsengumi captain regret he ever lived.

However, equally fast, Okita dodged. Jumping back a few steps, he steadied himself. Kamui was faster than he thought. In fact, his movements were unpredictable like a monkey. Those blue eyes never lost sight of the bright red ones.

Kamui laughed. "Oh? Why did you dodge? Weren't you the one who told me to come?"

"You bastard. If I didn't dodge your punch, it would be pretty much game over for me."

Kamui smirked. "Well, let's see if you can dodge this."

In a blink of an eye, Kamui appeared in front of Sougo. Reflexively, he blocked Kamui's chop with his scabbard and landed a kick in the enemy's side. This sent Kamui flying into some cardboard boxes. A flurry of dust flowed up.

"Ah ah," Kamui taunted. "Is this the best you can do? I have to give it to you though. You managed to kick me. Congratulations. But—" Sougo's uniform was cut on the sleeve and blood began to gush out of the wound. "I got you too." His right hand was covered in Sougo's blood. He licked it slowly and smirked.

Sougo barely flinched at the pain. The smile never left his lips as he stared at Kamui. It had been a while since someone had been able keep up with him. Last meeting they had, the flaxen boy was distracted by Kagura. This time, he could fight seriously.

Grabbing one of his fallen comrade's sword, Okita prepared to strike the cursed Yato clansman. Kamui charged towards him. Making a cross with his sword, Okita blocked Kamui's kick. It was so powerful he could barely stand his ground. Moving back a few feet, he used his strength to push back. Kamui hopped off his sword and swiftly attacked a second time. _'Damn monkey,'_ Okita thought.

The battle continued in a ferocious stalemate. Amongst the sound of their punches and clanging of swords, rain began to fall loudly onto the warehouse. With a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder, it temporarily lit up the faces of the two. Even with blood splattered on their faces and new wounds and bruises forming, they both looked like they were enjoying it.

Another lightning strike. Okita dug his sword into Kamui's shoulder blade cruelly. A red substance gushed out as he twisted the sword further in. Finally, Okita seemed to have the upperhand.

Or did he?

Kamui's smile grew wider as he grabbed the blade of the sword, pulling Okita towards him. A headbutt caused Okita to temporarily blank out.

Bingo.

Kamui used this opportunity to kick in the foolish boy's ribs, causing him to cough out blood. Okita landed somewhere near the feet of his superiors whom immediately crowded around to assist him. The captain held his ribs and found it difficult to breathe.

A whistle was heard coming from the outside. Kamui snapped his head towards the door.

Turning his head back, the red-haired boy sneered. "Ah, seems that I have to go now. I'll play with you another day, First Division captain. Oh, and babysit my useless sister for me." The red-haired boy walked out the warehouse into the rain, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Sougo ignored all the warning signs of his body and used his sword to get up.

"K-Kamui! Don't run away, you bastard!" the young Shinsengumi strained his voice. Trying to make his way where the monster had exited, he stumbled and fell forward.

"Sougo! Stop it. That's enough," Kondo said and put his warm hand on the boy's shoulder.

"KAMU—" Okita coughed out some more blood. His senses began to fade. Various people were calling him, trying to keep him conscious. His vision began to tunnel as he stared out the door. He finally noticed that his clothes were wet from the rain seeping through the leaky roof. Or maybe it was his sweat and blood. Probably it was both.

The rain was dying down.

_Pitter patter. Pitter patter._

In a way, it was soothing. It was as if it marked the end of the battle. At least for now. The voices became distant as his consciousness began to be swallowed up by the ever-increasing darkness.

* * *

Kagura woke up to many hurried footsteps down the hall. She rubbed her eyes and got off the bed to see what the commotion was about.

To her surprise, many members had worry plastered all over their faces. Frowning slightly, she followed the group towards a lit room down the hall.

She took out her notebook and was about to write 'What's going on?' when a surreal scene unfolded in front of her eyes.

Wrapped in bandages, the sadistic captain laid still.

All was silent. The pen in Kagura's hand slipped out and landed on the floor in slow motion.

_Clatter_.

Everyone's eyes turned towards the door to see a shocked orange-haired girl with tears streaming down her cheeks.

_Badump. Badump. Badump._

The only thing Kagura could hear was her heartbeat.

_Badump badump. Badump badump._

It began to beat faster and faster.

_Badump badump badump. _

She felt her Yato blood boil. The chains to her consciousness were being tugged harshly. Even if she tried to control her instinct to kill, it was too late now.

The chains snapped.

All that effort she had put into controlling her blood.  
All that work she had put into controlling her anger.  
They were all thrown away in one simple emotion.  
Anger.

At that moment, all sense of rationality had left her.


	13. Emotions Taking Over

_**A/N:**__ *peeks around* Umm, sorry everyone ! I've been so busy and all but finally got some time (since I woke up early) before heading out to do some police check thing =3=;. I really appreciated all the reviews and I think I replied most/all of them! Keep them coming =D I'm so happy you readers took the time to read through all 12 chapters XD~~ Here's the next one!_

* * *

A black void had taken over. Her vision was not focused on anything in particular. She could notice scenes and people flashing past her through the corner of her eye. She could hear murmurs from the Shinsengumi members she passed.

Her feet took her outside. The rain had stopped but the air was still gloomy. Dropping on all fours, she continued at high speed towards the warehouse. She didn't even notice the pebbles on the ground digging into her palms and feet or the bystanders scurrying out of her way. The wind blew her hair back, exposing her glowing blue eyes filled with hatred. Rain puddles and mud had splattered over her pale complexion. She indeed looked like a predator chasing her prey.

She soon reached the old battleground and sniffed around. Her eyes glowed as she smelled something familiar. In anger, she let out a growl. Behind the tree, she spotted a bit of torn cloth on the ground and sniffed it. The familiar scent drove her consciousness further away.

Letting out another growl, she sped towards the scent. It was one that she wished she had forgotten.

* * *

Flickering between consciousness and unconsciousness, Okita could make out some murmurs.

"Is he going to be okay?"  
"That wound looks pretty nasty."  
"I can't believe there is someone who can beat Captain Okita."

"Well, that Yato was a monster. You can't really compare…"

"But still, I always thought Okita-san was superhuman."

"Anyway, you guys. Should we really just leave the orange-haired girl alone? She kind of just ran out…"

Okita's eyes opened at the mention of Kagura.

"Oh! The Captain is awake! Someone get the doctor!"

Ignoring the sharp pains in various parts of his body, he used willpower alone to get up.

"Okita-san, you shouldn't be getting up! You were heavily wounded," Yamazaki said.

"…up," his voice sounded hoarse.

"Pardon?"

"I said, SHUT UP!" the First Division captain howled and yanked the intravenous tube from his arm. Everyone fell silent. He stumbled out of bed and grabbed his Shinsengumi jacket and draped it over his shoulder.

He clumsily wore his boots and dragged himself out of the room. Each step he took reminded him of how injured he was.

Kamiyama [1] was chatting in the lounge when he spotted his favourite captain making his way down the hall, using the wall to keep himself upright.

"C-Captain! You're awake!" He immediately made his way to the stumbling boy. Everyone turned their gaze towards Okita and Kamiyama.

"Shut up," was his idol's reply.

"Where are you going, Captain? You have to stay in bed! You are in no shape to go out."

Okita stopped in his tracks.

His eyes turned towards everyone in the lounge. The members froze up at his icy gaze.

"If you know I am injured this heavily, how come you people aren't doing anything about Kagura?"

Silence.

"Answer me!" his piercing red eyes narrowed.

"You useless bunch. Can't even take care of one girl. I'll punish you guys thoroughly when I am back," then to Kamiyama, "You, get the car."

Kamiyama had never seen the Captain this angry. Snapping out of his trance, he immediately ran to the supply room to get the car keys.

* * *

Driving around and asking the civilians if they had seen an orange-haired girl, Okita was feeling desperate with each passing second.

"Damn it, China. Why did you have to go and do this?" he muttered.

Kamiyama got into the car and continued driving. He was afraid to make a comment about his captain's condition, but felt he had to say it anyway.

"Captain, I know you want to find the girl, but you aren't looking too well. Your lips are pale and you're sweating a lot. If you ask me, I think we should head back—"

Okita cut him off. "Well, no one asked you so shut up and drive. Go to the warehouse. She might be there."

They arrived outside the warehouse and decided to look around. Okita spotted small, freshly made footprints in the mud.

The two followed the tracks to a cliff. The moon was hanging low by now, signaling the end of the night.

At the edge of the cliff sat a figure with orange hair on all fours growling at the reflecting waters. Her clothes were tattered but were unmistakably Chinese-styled. A wave of relief came over the young captain. However, maybe it was too soon to be rejoicing.

"China," Okita called out. "What are you doing here? If you are going to suicide, you're just going to give me more paperwork."

The girl didn't answer. Something wasn't right. Why was she growling?

Walking closer, he could see a boat sailing away. Seeing Kagura's eyes focused on the boat, he knew what she had in mind.

Kagura was about to make a leap off the cliff when Okita hugged her from behind.

"Stop it, China. Snap out of it."

She continued to howl and thrashed around. She even used her fingernails to dig into his arm. But he didn't let go.

"It's okay. Everything's over. Calm down."

The Yato was going crazy by now, seeing her prey getting away. She tried to pry the arms around her away and kicked the shins of her captor.

Okita leaned down beside her head and whispered quietly in her ear.

"Kagura, it's alright now. I'm fine. Come back, Kagura."

The black void in her slowly lit up. The voice had reached her conscience. Blinking a few times, she came back to reality. Suddenly, a heavy weight from behind her threatened to crush her small frame.

Turning her head to the side, she caught a face full of golden hair. She felt perspiration seeping into her shirt. She cocked her head to look at his face. He looked even paler than she does.

"S-sadist?"

No response.

"…Oi, this is no joke. Stop scaring me."

Still silent.

"Sougo—"

"It's good… that you can talk again…Kagura… I'm so glad… you're alright."

Kagura could see out of the corner of her eye that blood was seeping through the bandages around his torso. Okita's eyes began to close.

"Oi! Oi Sadist!"

* * *

_**A/N: **__v Reviews are much appreciated!_

[1] If you didn't remember who he was, he's the dude in episode 186 who fought with Okita in the Rokkaku incident. In case you didn't watch it, I won't write the details here.


	14. We Meet Again

_**A/N:**__ WOW. Life sure got in the way of me writing this. SORRY FOR THE DELAY Thanks for all the reviews! This is short, I know. I'm teaching right now so my time is limited ; But thanks for keeping up and reading!_

* * *

A month had passed. Okita's injuries have finally healed and he was ready to go back to Gintama High.

"Oh my goodness! It's Okita-kun!"

"I heard you were at the hospital because of an accident! We tried to find you but Hijikata-kun and Kondo-san never told us where it was!"

"I'm so glad you're all better now, Okita-kun!"

"Sou-chan," a voice called from behind him.

Turning around, he could see his beloved sister.

"Ane ue! Why are you here? They let you out of the hospital?"

"Yeah, I'm fine to move about for now. I still need to go for weekly check-ups though. It's been a while since I've been to school. It hasn't changed too much."

"Yo, Sougo—" Hijikata called out. His eyes widened as he saw Mitsuba. "M-mitsuba…"

"Good morning, Toshiro-kun. How have you been?"

"I… I've been fine. You're out of the hospital. That's great…" Hijikata then noticed Sougo's glares that were burning into his head.

He cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, look. I have to go. Bye."

Mitsuba smiled as he walked towards the school building. Sougo was not pleased.

"Ane ue, give him up already. He's a jerk. He has a whole crew of girls going after him every single day. He's a big player."

"…It's okay, I don't mind. As long as I can be near him, it's enough."

"Ane ue!—" the bell cut his next comment short.

"Ah, Sou-chan, that's the bell. Let's hurry in or else we'll be late!"

* * *

Okita lazily made his way to class.

"Yo," he waved to Ginpachi-sensei.

Wide-eyed, Gin gawked speechlessly. The whole class was silent.

Okita looked around the room. In the time that he was gone, the classroom definitely changed.

Gin cleared his throat. "Okita-kun, your desk is now by the window."

Yawning, he slowly glided lazily towards his desk. The person in front of him had a book to their face. But he recognized the orange hair.

It was weird though. He was sure that Kagura was still sleeping at home, planning to skip school for the day. So who was this person?

The person put their book down. He had a smirk on his face.  
It was Kamui.

"Nice to meet you, Okita-kun. My name is Kamui. While you were gone, I transferred to this school. Oh, I hope we can get along," he smirked.

Okita did his best to not show his anger. After a moment, he replied, "Nice to meet you, too." He decided to not make a scene and walk past him. However, Kamui didn't think the same. He stuck out his foot and Okita caught himself before he fell.

"Ah, sorry Okita-kun. I thought you will be sharp enough to spot my foot sticking out. I don't want you admit you to the hospital _again_ y'know."

Okita's eyes flared. He was about to shut Kamui up for good with a punch when he heard Hijikata clear his throat.

He dropped his fist and stomped to his desk.

This is going to be a long year.


	15. Taunt

_**A/N:**__**T**__thanks for all the comments! I've neglected FFnet for too long.. my humble apologies ;A;. I really appreciate all the encouragement f rom you readers. Keep them coming =D!_

Disclaimer: Gintama is too awesome to be mine.

* * *

Okita was trying to burn a hole into Kamui's head while Ginpachi-sensei taught math. Everyone else was glancing over at the two and whispering.

He twirled his pencil unconsciously in his hand. _Why is he here? Why is he here? Why is he here?_was all he could think of.

Sougo replayed the scene that had just happened over and over in his head.

_"I don't want you admit you to the hospital _again_ y'know."  
_  
_That bastard!_

The pencil flew out of his hand and landed on the floor next to some girl he didn't know. The girl bent down and picked it up. She blushed and shyly whispered, "Here you go, Okita-kun."

But Okita was too busy being angry to notice.

"O-Okita-kun? Okita-kun? Excuse me, Oki—"

Okita snapped, "WHAT do you want?"

Now everyone's eyes are on Okita.

"Ah~ Okita. You can't yell in class. There's no reason to—"

Okita got up quickly, causing his chair to hit the desk behind him.

"Whatever. Class is lame." He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out of class.

Being in the same room with the man who almost killed him is making him feel extremely irritated.

* * *

Class ended and Hijikata made his way up the stairs to the rooftop. He knew Okita would be there. He's always there when he's annoyed.

Opening the door to the rooftop, Okita was in the same spot as always, lying down with his arm covering his eyes. Hijikata stood beside the flaxen-haired boy.

"Oi Sougo. You can't lose your cool like that."

Without losing a beat, Sougo replied, "Shut up and eat your mayonnaise."

The mayo-loving man sighed. "Look, I am as annoyed as you right now. The enemy mingling with civilians… it makes our mission much harder. We just have to work with the situation. So let's just finish up the rest of today. It's lunch time. Let's go."

Okita didn't move an inch. "Leave me alone."

Hijikata sighed. He knew Sougo would come around when he's ready.

The boy with blonde hair heard retreating footsteps and then the sound of the rooftop door closing.

He looked up at the sky. It was murky and cloudy. The wind was beginning to pick up. A storm is coming soon.

* * *

There were only five minutes left of lunch before Sougo reappeared in the classroom. The classroom was rowdy and noisy as usual. Okita slid the door open and an eerie silence ensued. His hot red eyes met up with cold blue ones. And beside those blue menacing eyes were a pair of red ones identical to his. His sister was sitting beside Kamui.

It was as if time stood still.

Kamui's smile never left his face. "Ah, Okita-kun. I was looking all over for you. I wanted to apologize for tripping you before. Here, I bought an extra sandwich from the cafeteria. Your sister said you don't bring a lunch."

Okita tried hard to keep his composure. _That bastard honestly deserves a beating._ "It's alright. I'm not hungry, thanks."

"Ah, Sou-chan, you should thank Kamui-kun. He was afraid you'll be hungr—"

Okita's eyes never left Kamui's. "Ane ue. Go back to your class."

"But Sou-chan—"

"Now."

Mitsuba sighed and got up. "It was nice meeting you, Kamui-kun. I hope you get along with Sou-chan. He's a little hard to get close to but he's a very nice boy."

Kamui gave his signature smile. "Of course, Mitsuba-san. I feel like Okita-kun and I are _really_alike."

Okita scoffed. As Mitsuba passed by her little brother, she patted him on the head, "Be good, Sou-chan."

But even then, Okita's glare didn't waver.

Okita walked to his seat, people moved out of the way in fear.

"Excuse me, what class is it right now?" Kamui asked the girl sitting in front of him.

"English," was her response.

As Okita passed the orange-haired monster, he heard him mutter in English, "You better think twice before you act, little Sou-chan."

Okita clenched his fist and continued to his seat. He knows exactly what Kamui is talking about. The boy with the icy blue eyes has held his beloved sister hostage.

Ginpachi-sensei came in with a smoking lollipop and lazily started the English lesson. Whatever the lesson was about, Okita's mind was too busy plotting how to destroy Kamui in the cruelest and most gruesome way to wipe that smug look off his face.


End file.
